Validation of a Cortical Tri-Culture Model for In Vitro Compound Screening: A Blinded Compound Study

The poster Validation of a Cortical Tri-Culture axoModel™ for In Vitro Compound Screening: A Blinded Compound Study presents Axol Bioscience’s human iPSC-derived tri-culture system for electrophysiological compound screening.

Key highlights include:

• Model Composition:
  • Cortical excitatory neurons (CENs), cortical inhibitory interneurons (CINs), and astrocytes
• Workflow:
  • 26-day maturation protocol
  • MEA recordings taken pre- and post-compound addition across three doses
• Electrophysiological Profiling:
  • 18 parameters recorded per well using Axion Maestro MEA
  • Spike rate, amplitude, burst frequency, synchrony analyzed
• Functional Modulation:
  • Monoculture: spontaneous, unsynchronized firing
  • Co-culture: reduced firing, synchronized bursts
  • Tri-culture: increased spike amplitude and firing rate with synchronized bursts
• Compound Classification:
  • Group 1: Little Effect
  • Group 2: Activators (Hyperpolarizing, Excitatory, Pro-convulsant)
  • Group 3: Deactivators (Blockers, Inhibitors)
• Blinded Study Results:
  • 8/8 compounds correctly classified by group
  • 7/8 correctly classified by subgroup
  • Validated for neurotoxicity and drug screening

This model supports scalable, human-relevant compound screening and disease modeling.

Featured Axol Products:

• axoCells™ Cortical Excitatory Neurons – ax0015
• axoCells™ Cortical Inhibitory Interneurons – ax0667
• axoCells™ Astrocytes – ax0665